Aquaculture Ponds Must Be Registered

INDIA - All fresh and brackish water aquaculture ponds in the district of Kakinada, must be registered with the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) before 31 December.

According to The Hindu ponds measuring less than two hectares have to be registered with the CAA’s district committee and more than two hectares, with the State committee.

Addressing a CAA district committee meeting earlier this week, Gopalakrishna Dwivedi said out of 2,571 farmers involved in brackish water aquaculture, 1,856 applied for registration and all, except two, which were pending with the CAA State committee, were given licences. Applications were still to be received from the remaining 715 farmers.

The Fisheries Department has been asked to find out whether the aquaculture ponds were polluting the nearby agricultural fields and drinking water tanks, with the help of Agriculture and Rural Water Supply Departments and AP Pollution Control Board.

Both the existing ponds and new ones for which licences were sought should not cause pollution.

Mr Dwivedi said farmers could not export their produce without getting themselves registered with the CAA.